"Southernese," Samantha, & the Sovereignty of God

Here in the Southern part of the United States, we often add our own special twist to the English language.  We shorten or lengthen words as we see fit. We change vowel sounds and add syllables at will.  Sometimes we invent words or create alternate meanings for existing words. 

Have you ever heard the expression fixing to? [pronounced fis-sen to or fi-den-nuh, depending on how far South you live]  Some of us say fixing to instead of about to.

How about Mama nim?  I can’t speak for all Southerners on this one, but I know some of us from the Mississippi Delta use this expression when we actually mean Mama and them. This expression isn’t only limited to Mama; any family member or name will work just as well with nim.  [for example, Daddy nim, Aunt Becky nim, or Bubba nim.]

I personally don’t use this word incorrectly, but I find it HILARIOUS when some of my loved ones do; a few of my dear relatives mispronounce the word afghan (a blanket) by saying the word African (a native of Africa).

Here’s another: chester.  No, I’m not referring to the man’s name; I’m referring to what fancy folk call a bureau, or rather, a chest of drawers.   Some use the longer expression chester drawers, but others, like my Mamaw (grandmother), shorten it to chester.  

Here is an example of how one might use all of that Southernese lingo in a sentence: 

I’m fixing to go see Mama nim so I can put this new African in their chester.

I could go on and on with other unusual examples of Southernese.  I will mention just one more that has come to mind here recently, and I have a feeling that this one may not be peculiar to the South alone.  This expression may be used when something unexpected, exciting, or wonderful occurs:  you must be living right. [Some of us Southerners drop the –g in living and slightly alter the long –i sound in right. Y’all know what I mean.]

You must be living right….. That expression implies that living (or doing) right equals favorable results while NOT living right equals UNfavorable results.  

Consider that logic again: if you face unexpected and UNWANTED circumstances, one would have to assume that you are, in fact, NOT living right.

I recently received an email that has caused me to consider how I personally am prone to evaluate my own circumstances in this way.  Now, the next portion of this post may take a little longer to read, but PLEASE continue reading—it’s well worth your time.  Please consider what this email from Walk in the Word ministries has to say:

There are too many people (believers among them) who have fallen into the trap of believing that prosperity and blessing equal God’s favor. In other words, when it’s all going your way, God obviously likes what you’re up to and has rewarded you with good things. And when life is hard, God obviously doesn’t like what you’re up to and is punishing you with bad things. That thinking is pretty common. … Practically speaking, it seems we believe it is true. Our culture is no help. Life is measured by how much you have. Your bank account, your educational achievement, your address, and the number of Facebook friends you have become the measure of whether or not you’ve got it going on.

Ezra 4 helps us answer the question, “If I’m doing exactly what God told me to do, how is it that things can still go so wrong?” Ezra 4 recounts for us the frustration the Jews were experiencing when their vision to re-establish worship was stopped in its tracks by the lies, threats, and political maneuvering of some adversaries.

Though the purposes of the Jews were frustrated, God’s purposes were not. In the midst of the failure, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me” (Psalm 57:2). And what are His purposes for me? Answer: to set me apart from the world, to have me know His power, to have me man-up and trust Him, and to have me know that His ways are far greater than my ways.

And if those are the purposes, they can be accomplished whether I’m experiencing good times or bad. So in fact, life may be really hard for you right now, and yet you may be doing everything right. God is simply doing what He needs to do to accomplish His purposes.

Don’t that beat all? [translation:  Isn’t that an extraordinary thought to consider?]

Sometimes, our “doing everything right” has absolutely nothing to do with what God is accomplishing on this planet.

The old preacher J. Vernon McGee said this:

 “This is God’s universe, and God does things His way.  You may have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.”

His ways are not our ways…. Isaiah 55 tells us that God’s thoughts and ways and plans are far beyond what our tiny human-sized brains can comprehend. 

Here’s something I still cannot explain or comprehend.  Not so long ago in God’s universe, this happened.

This sweet girl, Samantha, married the boy she loved. 

Samantha was loved by many people. Her beautiful smile and infectious giggle brought gladness to the coldest of hearts.

Oh, how we loved her.

Samantha gave birth to her first son.  My goodness, was that baby loved.  He was surrounded by family and friends who adored him just as much as they adored his sweet mom and dad.

I had the privilege of meeting Samantha's beautiful son when he was about two weeks old.  Samantha was my former student, and she wanted me to meet my new "grand-student."

A few short weeks after that, Samantha went to be with Jesus.

Oh, how we loved her, and oh, how we hurt.

Her husband, her mom, her dad, and the newest man in her life experienced a loss that no one can explain.

This beautiful lady is Samantha's mother.  I've met very few people as loving and joyful as she. 

Along with many other loved ones, she stepped in to help care for her only child's only child.  Oh, how she loved that baby, and how we all loved her.

Less than a year later, she also went to be with Jesus.

This beautiful boy is Samantha's baby.

He's so easy to love.

His mother and grandmother went to be with Jesus before his first birthday, but he is surrounded by people who adore him.

I don't understand why some things happen like this in God's universe.

How do we deal with inexplicable loss?  What do we say when there are no satisfactory human explanations to our most heart-rending questions?  Did somebody do something wrong?  I’m by no means a theologian.  I don’t have the satisfactory answers because there are none that we can perceive. 

This is all I know….Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Those paths may lead us through unexpected, uncomfortable, or undesired detours, but we can trust the One Who holds us in His hands.  It is He “who fulfills His purpose” for us, and His Word assures us that “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  We may not understand or see the beauty in His purposes, but we can be sure that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I don’t have all the answers because this isn’t my universe.  I do have this precious hope, though: one day, I will have the pleasure of dwelling forever with the One Who made the world and all who are in it.  Maybe He’ll use a few minutes in eternity to help me understand the things that perplex me now.  Or maybe just being with Him will be enough.

And guess who will be there with me?

That’s right.  Samantha nim.